Floating storage building

ABSTRACT

A plurality of modules (66) are connected together to define a multi-story annular building (10) of honeycomb cells (C). The cells (C) of the building are hexagonal in cross section and taper horizontally as they extend radially inwardly. A turntable/elevator (36) is located in a shaft opening at or near the center of the building (10). A tunnel (48) extends through a side of the building (10). The building includes flotation cells at its bottom, some of which are air tight. Water is pumped into and out from the others, for regulating the vertical position of the building (10) in a body of water. An annular ring (66) of flotation material extends about the building (10) immediately below the water line. Each cell (C) is reinforced by a reinforcing ring (R1) extending about the girth of the cell (C). The rings (R1) are connected together vertically and horizontally to form a wall (RW1) of rings constituting a basic skeletal part of the building (10).

This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 692,770 filedJan. 18, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 690,214, issued Feb. 3, 1987.

DESCRIPTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to multi-story building construction. Moreparticularly, it relates to a unique building concept, to a modularconstruction of the building, and to the constructional makeup of themodules.

2. Background Information

Modular buildings are an old concept. For example, U.S. Pat. No.3,710,534, granted Jan. 16, 1973, to John O. McNamara, Jr., disclosesconstructing a building from a plurality of right angle modules,connected together to form rectangular shaped cells. U.S. Pat. No.3,714,304, granted Jan. 30, 1973, to John W. Carner and Frank B.Anderson, discloses constructing a building from modules which are castwith a ceiling structure and depending wall structures, but are open atthe bottom. The modules are placed side-by-side horizontally and arestacked vertically to form a building. U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,763, grantedMay 22, 1973 to Ernest R. Drucker discloses constructing a building frommodules which are separate units of the building, e.g. separateapartments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,492, granted Jan. 30, 1979 to John H.Willingham, discloses constructing a modular building from T-shapedmodules.

It is also known to construct multi-story circular buildings composed ofa plurality of rooms or units positioned about a center shaft orchamber. For example, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,492discloses (FIGS. 40 and 41) locating a plurality of rooms about a centerstairwell. The rooms are constructed from T-shaped modules, each ofwhich has a flat roof, a flat floor and flat sidewalls. The sidewallsextend radially, so each room narrows down from its outside end to itsinside end. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,714,304 and 3,733,763also disclose buildings composed of units positioned about a centerspace. Additional buildings of this general type are disclosed by thefollowing U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,709,914, granted Apr. 23, 1929 to Elmer E.Klanke; 3,295,265, granted Jan. 3, 1967 to Naoto Hida; 3,358,407,granted Dec. 19, 1967, to Bruno Konig; 3,419,161, granted Dec. 31, 1968,to Carl H. Hagel; 3,419,162, granted Dec. 31, 1968, to Carl H. Hagel;3,437,218, granted Apr. 8, 1969 to Carl H. Hagel; and 3,474,918, grantedOct. 28, 1969, to Antonius J. M. F. Postmes and Cornelis M. Wennekes.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Building structures constructed in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention are basically characterized by a plurality ofhexahedral building cells joined together in honeycomb juxtaposition. Inpreferred form, each cell narrows in width from a first end to a secondend. Each cell is defined by a pair of spaced apart vertical sidewallswhich converge together as they extend from the first to the second endof the cell. Each cell further includes a pair of top sections whichextend laterally of the cell and slope upwardly and inwardly from thesidewalls to an apex whereat they are connected together and a pair ofbottom sections which extend laterally of the cell and slope downwardlyand inwardly from the vertical sidewalls to a valley whereat they meetand are connected together. Each vertical sidewall has an inboard endwhich is spaced inwardly from the second end of the cell. Upper andlower cantilever beams project from the inboard ends of each sidewalltowards the second end of the cell. The region located verticallybetween the upper and lower cantilever beams, and horizontally betweenthe inboard end of the vertical wall and the second end of the cell isan open region.

In preferred form, a reinforcement ring is provided in each cell in theregion of the inboard ends of the vertical sidewalls. The reinforcementring extends about the girth of the cell and comprises thickenedportions of the sidewalls, the top sections and the bottom sections.

The reinforcement rings for the several cells are connected together toform a reinforcment ring of rings for a single tier of cells and acylinder wall of rings for a multi-tier structure.

In preferred form, a second reinforcing ring is located between thefirst reinforcing ring and the first end of the cell.

Also in preferred form, the building structure is constructed from amosaic of substantially identical building units or modules. Inpreferred form, each building unit comprises one of the verticalsidewalls of the cell, an upper dihedral portion and a lower dihedralportion. Each cell is defined by portions of four of these cell units.The top of the cell is formed by a lower dihedral portion of a firstbuilding unit and adjoining side portions of the upper dihedral portionsof second and third building units. The bottom is formed by the upperdihedral portion of a fourth building unit and adjoining side portionsof the lower dihedral unit of the second and third building units. Thesidewalls are formed by vertical wall portions of the second and thirdbuilding units.

Also in preferred form, each such building unit comprises an end wall atthe first end of the cell and a section of the walkway positionedoutwardly of the end wall. An access opening (with door) is provided inthe end wall, to provide an avenue between the inside of the cell andthe walkway.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an annular building isprovided which includes a vertically elongated central opening in whicha turntable/elevator is located. The structure may be used for storingboats in which case it is preferably located within a body of water andthe building is constructed to include a passageway through the buildingextending between the body of water surrounding the building and thecenter opening. A building that is set into a body of water isconstructed to include a bottom tier of flotation cells.

Additional aspects of the invention are included in the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment, and in the claims. Accordingly,the detailed description and the claims constitute portions of thedescription of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Like reference numerals are used throughout the several views of thedrawing to designate like parts, and:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an embodiment of the invention, in theform of an annular building constructed to be positioned in a body ofwater to serve as a boat storage facility, such view showing a boatapproaching a tunnel entrance to the building, and showing a second boaton an elevator located at the center of the building, at an intermediateheight, and further showing a third boat in a top level storage cell;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the boat storage facility of FIG. 1, minusthe elevator, but including a diagrammatic showing of a way ofconnecting the structure to a land abutment;

FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 2, but showing an off-center placement of acenter access shaft for the purpose of producing several sizes ofstorage cells;

FIG. 4 is a free form diagram of a system of post-tensioning cables anda massive structural ring surrounding the tunnel to which some of thecables are attached;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a side portion of the structureshown by FIG. 1 developed on a plane;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 6--6of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line7--7 of FIG. 5, presenting a plan view of a pair of adjoining cells;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of portions of a flotation level controlsystem;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 9--9 ofFIG. 7, showing the reinforcement ring portions of the cells which arejoined together to form a ring of rings at each tier of cells, and acylindrical wall of rings from top to bottom of the structure;

FIG. 10 is an elevational true view taken substantially along line10--10 of FIG. 7, and looking from the open center of the structure intoone of the cells;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view of a wall portion of a cell showing anadjoining pair of boat supports mounted on the walls;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken through a cell substantially alongline 12--12 of FIG. 7, showing a boat in a supported position on a setof the supports;

FIG. 13 is a pictorial view of a preferred form of a building unit whichis combinable with like or similar other building units to form thecells, such view being taken from above and looking towards the top, oneside and the outer end of the building unit;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13, but looking toward the top, theopposite side and the inner end of the building unit;

FIG. 15 is a pictorial view of a module of the type used in the lowerflotation tier of cells;

FIG. 16 is a pictorial view of a modified form of building unit, withdetail omitted;

FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of the building unit shown by FIG.16;

FIG. 18 is a pictorial view of a second modified form of the buildingunit, with detail omitted;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the module shown by FIG. 18; and

FIG. 20 is a view showing a honeycomb pattern on which the three typesof building units are positioned.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiment shown by FIG. 1 is a multi-story building 10 of annularform shown floating in a body of water 12.

In preferred form, the building 10 is connected to a land fixedstructure 14 by a truss comprising a pair of structural main links 16,18 on or over which bridge structures 20, 22 may be constructed, and abrace link 24.

In the illustrated embodiments, the structural links 16, 18 arepositioned on radial lines originating from the center of the building10 and separated by an angle of about sixty degrees. The building end ofeach link 16, 18 may be a part of a universal joint 26 which includesthe end portion 28 of the link 16, 18 and a complementary component 30secured to the building 10. By way of typical and therefore nonlimitiveexample, the joint 26 is shown in the form of a ball and socket joint28, 30. The opposite end of each link 16, 20 is connected to the landstructure 14 by means of a universal joint 32, also shown in the form ofa ball and socket joint. A universal joint 32 is provided at theopposite ends of the brace link 24. The walkways 20, 22 may beconstructed in any suitable manner so that they do not interfere withany flexing action of the links 16, 18, 24.

As shown by FIG. 1, the building 10 is a multi-story or multi-tierbuilding. Hereinafter the different levels will be referred to as"tiers". The rooms will be referred to as either "rooms" or "cells".

As previously mentioned, the preferred embodiment is annular in form andincludes a center opening or shaft 34 in which an elevator/turntablestructure 36 (FIG. 1) is located. The constructional details of theelevator/turntable 36 are not a part of the invention, so these detailshave been omitted, and the elevator/turntable 36 has been omitted fromFIGS. 2 and 3. However, a general construction and arrangement of theelevator/turntable 36 is a part of an aspect of the invention and arehereinafter described in some detail.

The bottom or first tier is a flotation tier 38 (FIG. 5). The next tierup, designated 40 is a storage tier for wooden boats. The third andfourth tiers 42, 44 are storage tiers for plastic boats. The top tier 46is a storage tier for sailboats.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a tunnel opening 48 extends laterally througha side portion of the building 10, to provide an avenue of travel intoand out from the center shaft 34. In preferred form, the tunnel 48 ispositioned diametrically opposite a radial line which is halfway betweenthe two links 16, 18. In preferred form, the tunnel 48 would bepositioned to face into or out of the direction of worst wind. Also, thebuidling 10 would be well ventilated with windows, in the form ofscreened openings, as a way of reducing the tendency of the building tocreate a Von Karman vortex tail.

Each tier is provided with a walkway 50 which extends around thebuilding except for the location of the tunnel 48. Referring again toFIG. 2, an elevator 52 may be provided on the shore side of the building10, between the two walkways 20, 22. The elevator 52 is per se not apart of the invention and so it is illustrated only generally.

In use, boats would enter and leave the building 10 via the tunnel 48.For example, a boat coming into the building 10 would enter via thetunnel 48 and would be met at water level by the elevator/turntable 36.The boat would be positioned on the elevator/turntable, in any suitablemanner, and then the elevator/turntable 36 would be rotated and/orelevated in order to align the boat with its storage cell. In preferredform, the boat would be positioned on a translator structure which wouldbe movable from the elevator into and out from the storage cell. Thetranslator is not a part of the invention and for this reason has notbeen illustrated.

FIG. 3 shows a variant in the construction of the building. In thisfigure the building is designated 10'. It differs from building 10 inthat the shaft 34' is offset from the geometric center of the building10'. This results in some relatively short storage cells C' beinglocated on one side of the building 10' and some relatively largestorage cells C" located on the opposite side of the building 10'. Theintermediate cells are graduated in size between the small and largecells. The shore connection and the tunnel location have been omittedfrom FIG. 3 as the purpose of FIG. 3 was merely to show the variation incenter shaft placement for the purpose of creating a plurality of sizesof the storage cells.

FIG. 4 is a free form diagram of a post-tension cable system used forreinforcing the building structure 10. This figure will be discussedlater in more detail. At the present time it is sufficient to say thatthe building 10 includes a vertically elongated frame 54 which is a partof the structure defining the tunnel 48. Each of the tiers 38, 40, 42,44 includes a plurality of rings of post-tensioning cables which areconnected at their opposite ends to the frame structure 54. In FIG. 4the post-tensioning cables for the lower tier 38 are represented by asingle circle designated 56. The post-tension cables for the tier 40 arerepresented by a single circle designated 58. The post-tensioning cablesfor the tier 42 are represented by a single circle designated 60. Thepost-tensioning cables for the tier 44 are represented by a singlecircle designated 62.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the building 10 is constructed to float inthe body of water 12 in a position placing the lower portions of thecells c of the second tier 40 under water. The outer wall of thebuilding 10 is provided with openings 64 for allowing water into thecells C. An annular flotation ring 65 is provided around the building10, below the bottom walkway 50. A flotation control system whichincludes this flotation ring 65 and the flotation tier 38 will behereinafter discussed in some detail.

Building 10 is composed of a plurality of inwardly narrowing hexahedralcells or storage spaces C, joined together vertically andcircumferentially in the manner of a honeycomb. Stated another way, thecells are connected together vertically and horizontally in honeycombjuxtaposition. Building 10 is for the most part constructed from aplurality of identical building units or modules which are individuallyformed and are then connected together, and are combined with otherbuilding elements, to complete the building 10.

In preferred form, building 10 is basically characterized by its annularshape, the central vertical opening or elevator shaft 34, the radiallyextending tunnel opening 48, the bottom flotation section or tier 38,and a plurality (e.g. four) of storage levels or tiers 40, 42, 44, 46,the top one of which is uncovered.

A preferred form of building unit or module 66 will now be described.Then the rooms or cells C will be described. Then the remaining portionsof the building 10 and the operation of a flotation system will bedescribed.

FIGS. 16-19 show two additional constructions of building units ormodules 68, 70. FIG. 20 shows a building unit 66, and fragmentaryportions of three additional units 66, connected together to form a cellC. FIG. 20 also shows the orientation of a single building unit 68 inthe cell diagram and makes it evident as to how a number of thesebuilding units 68 could be connected together to form the cells C. FIG.20 also shows the relative position of a single building unit 70 in thecell diagram and makes it evident as to how a number of these buildingunits 70 could be connected together to define the cells or rooms C ofthe building 10.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, each building unit 66 comprises an upperdihedral section 72, a lower dihedral section 74, and a vertical wallsection 76 extending between and interconnecting the outboard portionsof the dihedral sections 72, 74. Building unit 66 also includes an outerend wall section 78.

As shown by FIGS. 7, 10, 13 and 14, both sides of the inboard end ofwall section 76 are thickened and the thickened region 80 extendsupwardly and becomes thickened parts of the two sides of the upperdihedral 72. The lower dihedral 74 is also thickened in this region. Thethickened portion 80 of the vertical wall 76 and the thickened portions82, 84 of the upper and lower dihedrals 72, 74 together define a sectionof a reinforcing ring R. When a plurality of the building units 66 arejoined together to form a cell C, the ring sections of such unitscombine to form a reinforcing ring R1 which extends about the girth of amidportion of the cell C, in the vicinity of the inboard end of thevertical section 76. When the building structure 10 is complete, thereinforcing rings R1 for each tier of cells C are connected together toform a large ring RR1 which extends circumferentially around thebuilding 10. This larger ring RR1 lies on the circle 88 (FIG. 7).

Preferably, each building unit 66 includes a second reinforcing ringsection RS2 spaced radially outwardly of the cell C from the first ringsection RS1. This ring section RS2 is formed by web sections 90, 92, 94.In a completed building the ring section 90, 92, 94 together form asecond cell ring R2 extending about the girth of its cell. The cellrings R2 form a second circumferential ring RR2 of cell rings R2 foreach tier.

The rings RR1 of the several tiers are connected together vertically toform a reinforcement wall RW1 (FIGS. 6 and 9) of rings R1 in the regionof the inboard ends of the vertical cell walls 76. In similar fashion,the rings RR2 of the several tiers, are connected together vertically toform a second reinforcement wall RW2 (FIG. 6) of rings R2.

The two side panels 96, 98 of the upper dihedral 72 meet on a level. Inpreferred form, a flat floor 100 extends the full length of the upperdihedral 72 and forms a narrow flat bottom for the central region of thecell.

Regardless of the building unit configuration used, it is necessary thatthe side boundaries of the units lie in vertical planes which extendgenerally radially of the building structure 10. As a result, whenviewed in side elevation, the outer edges of the side panels 96, 98 ofthe upper dihedral 72 slope upwardly as they extend outwardly lengthwiseof the cell C (see FIG. 6). The outer edges of the side panels 102, 104of the lower dihedral 74 also slope upwardly as they extend outwardlylengthwise of the cell. Also, the intersection line between the inneredges of the side panels 102, 104 and the lower edge of vertical wall 76slopes upwardly as it extends outwardly lengthwise of the cell. Thisconstruction gives each cell a level floor but a ceiling ridge linewhich slopes upwardly from the inner to the outer end of the cell C.

The portion of the upper dihedral 72 which is located inboard of thering section RSI combines with a vertical web extending of the verticalsection 76 to form a cantilever beam CB1 (FIGS. 6, 13 and 14) projectingfrom the ring section RS1 towards the center opening 34. In similarfashion, a portion of the lower dihedral 74 which is inboard of the ringsection RS1 and a lower web extension of the vertical section 76 form alower cantilever beam CB2 (FIGS. 6, 13 and 14) which projects inwardlyfrom the ring section RS1 towards the center opening 34.

As clearly shown by FIGS. 6, 7, 13 and 14, the region OR that isradially inwardly of the vertical wall section 76, and which is locatedbetween the upper and lower cantilever beams, CB1, CB2 is an openregion. As a result of the inboard vertical portions of the buildingunits 66 being open, for each tier of cells, an annular space or chamberis defined vertically between the upper and lower cantilever beams, andradially between the center opening 34 and the ring of rings RR1. Asbest shown by FIGS. 2, 7 and 10, the provision of this annular spacemakes it possible to move structures (e.g. boats) into and out from thestorage cells C which are wider than the width of the cells C at thecenter opening 20. Thus, owing to this construction, the effective widthdimension of each storage cell is the width of the space between the twoside portions 80 of the reinforcement rings R1.

As shown by FIGS. 2, 6, 7, 13 and 14, the portion of the vertical wallsection 76 which is outboard of the ring RR2 may be constructed toprovide storage space on one side of one of the storage cells which thewall section helps to define. The storage region may be defined by upperand lower triangular walls 106, 108, a vertical sidewall 110, and avertical divider wall 112. In preferred form, the top and bottom walls106, 108 are symmetrical triangles. The plane of the sidewall 110 andthe edges of the top and bottom walls 106, 108 opposite wall 110 deviatefrom a radial line about equal amounts but on opposite sides of theradial line (FIG. 7). Vertical wall 112 divides the storage space into asmall compartment on the inboard side of wall 112 and a largercompartment on the outboard side of wall 112.

Preferably, each cell unit 66 includes an outer end portion including avertical wall section 78 provided with a door opening and a door 114.The outer end portion preferably also includes a walkway section 116having a floor section 118 and an outer wall section 120.

FIG. 15 shows a typical construction of one of the modules used forconstructing the flotation cells of the lower tier 38. This module 134comprises a dihedral top 135 consisting of side panels 136, 138, avertical wall 140 and a lower dihedral 142 consisting of side panels144, 146. A plurality of these modules 134 are connected together and tolower portions of modules of the type shown by FIGS. 12 and 13 to formthe flotation cells except for their ends which are merely closed by endwalls 141, 143. Preferably, the modules 134 are produced withreinforcing ribs, some of which are designated 147.

As described above in connection with FIG. 6, a flotation ring 65 isprovided below the lower walkway 50. This flotation ring 65 comprises aring of buoyant plastic foam or the like housed below the walkwaysurface 118, inwardly of a lower extension 120' of the walkway wall 120and outwardly of the outer wall of the building. A three dimensional,triangular compartment 148 exists below each floor 108 (FIG. 14). Thesecompartments 148, in the modules which make up the cells C of the secondtier 40, may also be filled with a flotation foam material.

The buoyant foam plastic ring 65, and the buoyant material in thecompartments 148, provide a static flotation control. If the building 10starts to sink, this flotation material will be moved downwardly and thebuoyant force which it produces will increase, wanting to force thebuilding 10 upwardly.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the flotation cells ofthe lower tier 38 provide a dynamic control of the buoyancy force.Referring to FIG. 8, in a typical system, every third flotation cell FC1may be connected to a water line BC1. The cells FC2 immediately to oneside of each of the cells FC1 may be connected to a second water lineBC2. The remaining cells may be completely empty of water. The emptycells FC3 will together with the flotation ring 65 and the flotationcompartments 148 provide a static buoyancy force, always acting to wantto raise the building 10 in the water. Water can be pumped into and outfrom the cells FC1 and FC2 for adding ballast to the building. In atypical building 10, the amount of static buoyancy provided by thebuoyancy ring 65, the buoyant material in the compartment 148, and theempty flotation cells FC3 may maintain the flotation level of thebuilding at the desired location. As will be evident, when boats areremoved from the upper tiers of building 10, the total weight of thebuilding 10 is lassened and the buoyancy ring 65, the buoyancycompartments 148, and the flotation cells FC3 will together produce anexcess buoyancy force. At that time, it becomes desirable to pump waterinto the flotation cells FC1 and/or FC2, in order to increase thebuilding weight and restore the correct flotation level.

As earlier mentioned, the structural system of the building 10 mayinclude segment post-tensioning cables which collectively extendcircumferentially about the building 10. These cables are incorporatedinto the horizontal regions of the reinforcing rings RR1 and RR2. Thesecables are shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 9 and are designated 56, 58, and 60.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show apparatus which may be provided in the cells C forsupporting a boat B. As best shown by FIG. 12, the supports areconnected to the sidewalls of the cells C. Each support 122 comprises aboat contacting strap portion 124 having an upper end connected to awall attachment 126, and a lower end connected to the outer end 128 of arigid support arm 130. The inner end of the support arm is pivotallyattached to the base of the vertical wall (e.g. wall 132 in FIG. 11).FIG. 12 shows the manner that the boat B is supported on the straps 124.The hinge connection of the arms 130 to the sidewall structure makes itpossible to swing the arm 130 upwardly and against the sidewall whenthey are not needed. A suitable lock mechanism (not shown) may beprovided for securing the arm 170 to the sidewall. When the arms 130 arepositioned against the sidewalls, the straps 122 are in a foldedposition between the arm 130 and the sidewall.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show a first modified form of the building unit,designated 68. Unit 68 is of trihedral form and has an upper dihedralportion defined by a pair of side members 449, 150 which are connectedtogether at a valley line 152. Building unit 68 includes a vertical wall154 having an upper edge which is connected to the side members 149, 150at the valley line 152. The inboard portion of building unit 68 is openat 156, so that a tier of cells constructed by use of the building units68 will include the same type of annular space surrounding the centeropening 34 that is defined by the building units 66 described above.

Referring to FIG. 17, in this embodiment the floor of each cell isdefined by the two sidewall sections 149, 152. The valley 152 ispreferably horizontal. The outer edges 158, 160 of the wall sections149, 152 must lie within radial planes and the lower edge 162 ofvertical wall 154 must be positioned to meet and be connectable to apair of walls 149, 152 of two building units 68 positioned below thewall 154. As a result, when building unit 68 is viewed in sideelevation, with valley line 152 extending horizontally, the wall section158, 160, 162 slope downwardly from the outer end of building unit 68 tothe inner end of building unit 68.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, building unit 70 is also of trihedralform. However, its vertical wall 164 is positioned above the lateralwalls 166, 168. Building unit 70 includes an opening region 170 in theinboard portion of the vertical wall 164, for the same reason thatbuilding units 66 and 68 include open regions in their vertical wallsections.

The building units 70 are constructed in such a manner that the outeredges 171, 172 of wall section 166, 168 both lie on radial lines and arelevel. As a result, the upper edge 174 of wall section 164 is level andis parallel to the edges 171, 172, but the intersection of walls 164,166, 168 occurs along a line 176 which slopes downwardly from the outerto the inner end of the building unit 70.

Building units 68, 70 can be constructed to include reinforcing ringsections. The vertical walls 106, 116 can be formed to provide storagespace. Also, suitable end walls are provided for the building units 68,70.

The elevator/turntable 36 is not illustrated. However, it may comprise acircular base, a plurality of columns connected to and extendingupwardly from the base, and a pair of spaced apart floor sections ateach level connected to the columns. The floor sections are "D" shapedopposite side portions of a circle separated by an open space. The floorsections and the open spaces are vertically aligned to define anelevator shaft between the floor sections. The outer edges of the floorsections ride on rollers mounted at the inner ends of the cells. Thebase is located below the bottom of the tunnel so that a boat enteringthrough the tunnel can also enter into the elevator shaft space. Asuitable elevator mechanism can be made to move up and down in theelevator space. When the elevator reaches a particular level it and thetwo floor sections complete an entire floor at that level.

As described above, the building structure 10 is post-tensioned in theannular direction, by use of the post-tension cables 56, 58, 60, 62. Theindividual cell units or modules are prestressed in the radialdirection. That is, prestressing or pre-tensioning cables extendradially through the upper and lower dihedrals and through the verticalwall. It is desirable, and one aspect of the invention, to keep thebuilding materials in compression everywhere that is exposed toseawater, in order to keep cracks closed and in this manner prevent orat least minimize corrosion of the steel.

As will be appreciated, the various principles and concepts which havebeen described can be used separately or together in a number ofcombinations or configurations to provide a multiplicity of usefulstructures, each embodying one or more aspects of the invention. Forexample, the illustrated embodiment is an annular building having fouruseful stories and eighteen cells or rooms per story. In otherinstallations, it may be desirable to have more or less stories and/ormore or less cells per story, or the shape of the structure may bechanged. Variations in shape of the cells (and hence the buildingstructure) can be easily obtained by minor variations in the forms thatare used to mold the basic structural element or module. Referring toFIGS. 13 and 19, the taper of the unit that is illustrated is determinedby the chosen shape of the structure. The tunnel cross-section may berevised from a closed shape, as illustrated (letter "O") to an open topshape (letter "U"). Also, in a given installation, it may be desired tolocate a second tunnel diametrically opposite the first tunnel. Or, thebuilding could be built as two crescents opening towards each other,giving the building in plan form the appearance of a pair ofparentheses. This type of construction could be exaggerated so that thegap (s) occupied by the tunnel (s) is (are) more than a cell width, sothat boats may be capable of passing each other in/outbound in thetunnel (s), or to enhance view rights through the structure, or becauseof a structural advantage. It may be desirable to construct a buildingof cells connected together both horizontally and vertically, in ahoneycomb fashion, in which the building is in the form of a singlecrescent in which the curvature both inside and outside is relativelyflat. It should be observed that if the radius of the inner core were tobe increased without limit, the building would be rectangular. Atwo-part building would become a pair of rectangular parts facing eachother.

The concept of a flotation lower portion supporting a plurality of boatstorage levels can be incorporated into a rectangular building composedof storage cells having parallel walls (i.e. the cells do not taper).The boats would be inserted into and removed out from one end of thecells. The building could have a bottom flotation portion, a first levelfor floating boats (e.g. wood boats), a top level for sailboats, andintermediate levels for dry storage of plastic boats. As stated above,the cells in such a building could be constructed from building units ofthe type illustrated but with side boundaries which are parallel.

What is claimed is:
 1. A building structure comprising wall meansdefining an annulus of building cells joined together vertically andhorizontally, with the inner end boundaries of the cells defining avertical generally central opening in the building structure, openingdownwardly into a body of water, said building including a bottom ringof building cells which are closed and constitute flotation cells, saidbottom ring of building cells defining a lower portion of said centralopening; andfurther comprising a ring of a flotation materialsurrounding a lower outer portion of the building structure, said ringextending partially above and partially below the surface of the body ofwater.
 2. A building structure according to claim 1, comprising meansfor introducing water into and out from at least some of the flotationcells, for adjusting the vertical position of the building structure inthe body of water.
 3. A building structure comprising a plurality ofcells connected together both vertically and horizontally, each saidcell including a top wall, a bottom wall, sidewalls and at least onereinforcement ring extending about the girth of the cell, saidreinforcement rings being connected together vertically and horizontallyto form a skeletal support wall composed of said reinforcement rings forsaid structure, with portions of said cell walls cantileveringtransversly from said skeletal wall structure.
 4. A building structureaccording to claim 3, comprising post-tension cables extendinghorizontally through upper and lower portions of the cells in theregions of the reinforcement rings.
 5. A building structure according toclaim 4, wherein each building cell comprises a pair of sidewalls whichconverge together as they extend from one end of the cell to the other.6. A building structure according to claim 5, wherein the buildingstructure constitutes at least a segment of an annulus constructed abouta vertical axis.
 7. A boat storage building comprising a lower flotationportion adapted to sit down into a body of water;a first storage levelof storage cells above the flotation portion; at least one additionalstorage level of cells above the first storage level of cells; andwherein said storage cells are open at one end for the passage of boatsinto and out from the cells from said one end wherein the first storagelevel of cells is set down into the water to where there is a sufficientamount of water in the cells for floating a boat so that a boat can befloated into and out from the cells.
 8. A boat storage buildingaccording to claim 7, comprising a top storage level of cells comprisingupwardly open cells for receiving sailboats or other boats which haveportions which are taller than the height of the cells.
 9. A boatstorage building according to claim 7, wherein the storage cells arehexagonal in cross section and are connected together horizontally andvertically in honeycomb fashion.
 10. A boat storage building accordingto claim 7, comprising a mass of buoyant material substantially at thewater line, positioned to sink deeper in the water in response to aweight addition to the building, to in that manner displace more waterand produce an increased upwardly directed buoyancy force in oppositionto the increased weight, and to rise in the water, to in that mannerdecrease the buoyancy force, in response to a weight removal from thebuilding.
 11. A boat storage building according to claim 10, wherein theflotation portion comprises a plurality of flotation cells in the water,and the building further includes means for selectively introducingwater into or removing water out from at least some of the cells, forchanging the buoyancy force of the flotation cells.